


and hey, i can't believe i captured your heart

by playthetyrants



Category: The Creatures | Cow Chop RPF
Genre: Lots of kissing, M/M, Prom, Promposals, also i refuse to let go of old members, i never write shit like this so enjoy, it's just a short little thing, let me live in the past, pure fluff, they're in love, this is some sappy shit y'all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-05-07 08:12:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14666967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/playthetyrants/pseuds/playthetyrants
Summary: Aleks glanced sideways at him for a moment, well aware the cameras were rolling, raising an eyebrow.“You didn’t go to your high school prom?”James smiled at that, wrinkling his nose slightly as his eyes crinkled a bit, letting out a small laugh and shaking his head.“No, I didn’t. Are you really that surprised?” And the way his voice faded slightly at the end, his usually funny demeanor slipping only for a moment, a split second that would go unnoticed by anyone but Aleks, let him know to drop the subject entirely.aleks finds out james never went to prom, and decides to take matters into his own hands.





	and hey, i can't believe i captured your heart

**Author's Note:**

> hi friends! i got this idea as i was playing catch-up on YouTube content last week, and watched Cow Chop's most recent Wrong Side of YouTube episode. this is what came out of it. 
> 
> i really wanted to give y'all something new; recently it's been tough for me to write, so when this idea came i jumped right on it, and i'm happy with how it turned out. it's a nice change from the usual heavy stuff. 
> 
> that being said, i AM working on something longer right now; when that'll be out, i'm not sure, it's still got a ways to go, but it is coming! 
> 
> thank you all for reading my amateur work, it means a lot. 
> 
> title comes from lyrics to Wake Me by Bleachers, an absolute favorite of mine.

Prom season was the worst. 

Specifically, Los Angeles during prom season was the worst. 

Aleks still wasn’t sure to this day what was so appealing about the prospect of going to prom. He knew it was just another excuse for people to throw money away on an outfit that’d be used once, to spend a night with someone you didn’t really like, in order to please people who didn’t really care about you. 

Just the right amount of superficial for the people that lived here. 

Sure, Aleks had gone to his own prom; you didn’t really realize these things when you were younger. All you focused on was fitting in, and Aleks had never been particularly good at that, anyway.

The subject had been brought up nonchalantly during the filming of a Wrong Side video; James had scrolled across a series of “promposals” and decided to watch a few when Aleks nonchalantly asked the question most people were wondering, or at least would be after this video aired. 

“How was your prom, dude?” James kept his eyes on the screen, scrolling past a couple more videos before he answered without looking up. 

“I never went.”

Aleks glanced sideways at him for a moment, well aware the cameras were rolling, raising an eyebrow. 

“You didn’t go to your high school prom?” 

James smiled at that, wrinkling his nose a bit as his eyes crinkled a bit, letting out a small laugh and shaking his head. 

“No, I didn’t. Are you really that surprised?” And the way his voice faded slightly at the end, his usually funny demeanor slipping only for a moment, a split second that would go unnoticed by anyone but Aleks, let him know to drop the subject entirely. 

And he did, for the sake of the video, at least. 

He brought it up again later on that evening, when the rest of his coworkers were slowly but surely filing out of the warehouse, mumbling tired goodbyes and promises to see them again tomorrow morning. 

Aleks was at his desk, absentmindedly swiveling himself back and forth with one foot, shoe scraping idly against the concrete as he fidgeted with a random toy he’d found in their massive prop pile hours earlier. He let his eyes wander from the side door, letting them linger there for a moment as Asher let it shut behind him before he turned his gaze slightly, watching James still very much at work, slightly hunched over his desk as he edited something on his screen, his leg bouncing restlessly below him. 

There was a bout of silence then, one only filled with the sound of their loud AC unit, desperately making itself heard as usual. James was oblivious to his gaze, moving his mouse occasionally against the tabletop, back turned towards his boyfriend. Aleks smiled a bit, keeping his gaze fixed on the loose curls that had fallen from his bun throughout the day before he stood up, leaving his toy on his chair before walking over, slipping his arms around his neck and the front of his chest gently, leaning down and pressing a kiss to his temple. 

“Let’s go home, it’s late…” James grunted at that, ignoring him but Aleks felt his body relax slightly anyway, a natural reaction to his touch. 

“I need to finish this, I’m behind on this video…” Aleks hummed softly, cutting him off, his mouth still pressed to the side of his face. He let his lips float downward slightly, skimming James’ cheekbone lightly with them, fighting back a smile when James stopped speaking almost immediately. 

“You can finish tomorrow, yeah?” He listened to James breathe slowly, letting out a slightly unsteady breath as his hand hovered slightly over the keyboard, still facing the monitor. 

Aleks gave him another moment to recover before he went straight for the gentle dip of his throat, pressing a soft but discernible kiss against his tanned skin and then suddenly James was nodding quickly, his hands pressed against the side of his desk and pushing himself away from his work. 

“Yeah…” he agreed breathlessly, turning his chair with one swift move of his foot before his hands made contact with Aleks’ hips, pulling him swiftly into his lap. “I’ll come in early tomorrow…” He cracked a grin as Aleks yelped in shock, gripping tightly onto James’ neck for support before he managed to hook his legs on either side of the chair, feet dangling slightly over the concrete as James laughed into his mouth, pulling him close, fingers dancing along his pale skin like he was made of porcelain. 

It wasn’t until Aleks’ back was hurting, pressed against the edge of James’ desk, his boyfriend’s hands halfway up his shirt that he broke the kiss, turning his mouth slightly to rest against his cheek as he struggled to catch his breath, closing his eyes briefly. 

“This reminds me of prom night…” he managed out, and James groaned loudly at that, although Aleks wasn’t sure if the annoyance was from the sentence or the fact that they’d just stopped making out. 

“What’s with you and prom today?” James slid his hands down Aleks’ sides, thumbs dancing their way down his ribcage and to his hips, gripping the extra bit of weight there and making Aleks squirm slightly in his lap. “Prom was stupid; Joe and I made a pact to get wasted together instead.” 

Aleks smirked a bit at that, tilting his head to the side slightly as he leaned back slightly, adjusting himself against James’ desk. He reached his hand up slightly, stretching his fingertips out towards his boyfriend’s face, making contact with his beard first before letting them press into his soft skin, dragging them slightly downward before meeting his lips. 

James was silent, watching him closely with those big brown eyes that Aleks was sure he’d never get sick of looking at. He sucked in a slow breath once Aleks was touching his mouth, eyes fluttering shut for a moment before opening again once Aleks dropped his hand. 

“Yeah, prom is pretty stupid but...it’s prom, you know? A big American tradition.” He smiled at James’ rolled eyes, watching as he tilted his head back against the top of his chair. “I’m just saying; that’s why my parents made me go. That, and my date was pretty cute.” 

James hummed absently at that, letting himself stare at the ceiling for a few seconds more before sitting back up, meeting Aleks’ eyes again. 

“I was an asshole in high school; I couldn’t have gotten a date even if I’d wanted one.” And there it was again; that same dwindling voice that he’d heard earlier during the video. The kind of tone that sounded like one thing but read the complete opposite to the right person, to someone that was actually listening. 

‘I didn’t go to prom, but...a date would’ve been nice, I guess.’

Of course, he’d never say that out loud, but he didn’t have to for Aleks to understand. 

They went home a little while later, James sleepily holding onto Aleks’ hand the entire way home as he leaned against the window, struggling to keep his eyes open, and Aleks kept running his thumb along his knuckles, intent on forgetting the way James’ face had fallen slightly during their conversation earlier. 

Aleks stayed up that night, his mind unable to rest despite the fact that he was exhausted from the day’s events. James was out in a matter of minutes, curled up beneath their comforter with his cheek smushed slightly against the pillow, his face inches from Aleks and his chest rising and falling with a gentle motion that reminded him of the ocean. 

Los Angeles wasn’t it’s usual loud self that night; no annoying sirens, no screeching car brakes or obnoxious yelling. It was almost sad, really; Aleks didn’t really know what to do with himself as he gently ran his fingers through James’ curls, fingernails only grazing against his scalp occasionally. Their room was dark, but James’ face was dimly lit from the ever constant light from the streetlights that poured in at all times, illuminating his face with a warm, orange glow. 

Aleks inhaled slowly, letting the breath fill his lungs before letting it out gently, allowing his fingers to trail down the side of his boyfriend’s tanned face before shaking his head a bit. 

“Who WOULDN’T want to take you to prom?” he murmured softly, watching James’ head stir slightly from the noise but otherwise remaining asleep. He smiled a bit, leaning forward slightly before letting his lips ghost gently over his forehead, pressing a faint kiss to his skin before settling back down beneath the blankets, tucking his arm beneath his head. 

“Well, that’s okay…” Aleks whispered quietly, watching James sleep with a small smile. “I’ll just have to do it myself.” 

Aleks had never been good at planning anything in his life. He’d never planned out his career, or where he was going to be in his 20’s, and he’d definitely never planned on meeting James and falling head over heels in love. 

Within the next two days, though, he had everything booked; the hotel ballroom, the limousine, he’d even ordered those stupid boutonnieres that wilted an hour after you put them on your date. Everyone in the office knew, thanks to a special group text that included all of his coworkers minus James. They’d all been invited, of course, as well has a handful of other mutual friends from around the city they were free that weekend. 

James was mostly oblivious; if he’d noticed anything weird he didn’t mention it until Aleks had casually brought up the fact that he’d rented James a suit for that weekend. 

“A suit? What for?” His voice was only slightly incredulous; Aleks had caught him again at his desk, editing another video for the channel so that most of his attention was on that. Aleks leaned against the desk a bit, nonchalantly glancing at the screen for a moment before responding. 

“Oh, it’s for the video that day. Don’t really know why, Brett told us we both need one so I just went ahead and got yours, too.” James perked up a bit at that, reaching up to pull off his headphones before turning his chair slightly and raising an eyebrow. 

“YOU took initiative and ordered them?” Aleks should’ve been offended at the disbelief in his voice but really, he had every right to sound like that. Aleks did his best to remain expressionless, shrugging his shoulders slightly in response. 

“I was already on the computer when he told me, so...I just did it.” James stared at him for a second more before he smirked a bit, his dimples appearing for a moment before he turned back to the screen, sliding his headphones back on with one hand and dropping the subject entirely, much to Aleks’ relief. 

Lindsey and Anna pulled him aside Friday morning, the day of their prom, yanking him into the front foyer and closing the door before anyone could see he was gone. 

“Is everything ready? Do we need to get anything else?” Aleks rolled his eyes, leaning against the wall before glancing at the two women. 

“Does no one in this office have faith in me?” Anna smiled a bit and Lindsey smirked, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“James told us you tried to leave for work this morning wearing nothing but one of his shirts because you forgot to get dressed.” Aleks felt his cheeks flush in response and Anna giggled, covering her mouth quickly as Lindsey grinned at him. 

“Just saying, there’s a reason we’re a little wary of your planning at times,” she added, turning on her heel to walk out with Anna following close behind. 

Aleks had somehow managed to convince James they were doing a night shoot that evening, and that he’d stay behind at the office to get everything ready with Trevor and Asher before coming to pick him up from the house later on. James was skeptical and Aleks could tell; he didn’t quite understand why he got to go home and Aleks didn’t, but Aleks insisted he go and get ready on his own and argued that James had been exhausted all week, which technically wasn’t a lie. Aleks had already planned an entire weekend of staying in after tonight, right under his nose. 

“Be ready by 7, okay?” James hummed absentmindedly in response, bent over by his desk that evening as he gathered his things as Aleks leaned against his chair, watching him closely. 

“Yeah, you said that a couple times…” Aleks fell silent again, watching as James stood back up and turned to face him, smiling a bit and reaching out to touch his cheek. “I’ll be ready, I promise.” He ran his thumb along Aleks’ jawline slowly, letting his thumb drag along his stubble from shaving a couple days before. Aleks let his eyes close for a few seconds, letting James move his thumb to his lips for a brief moment before dropping his hand and leaning forward to press a kiss to his lips before murmuring into his mouth. “See you at 7.” 

Aleks was still standing there, hand pressed lightly to his mouth to try and remember the touch of his boyfriend’s lips when Brett came over a couple minutes later, James already long gone and insisting he go and start to get ready before the limo was on its way. 

There was a lot more to prom than Aleks remembered; frankly, it was one of the most stressful things he’d ever endured in his life. By the time the limousine arrived at 6, Aleks was scrambling out the side door to the street, arms full of flowers as Brett, Trevor, Asher and Joe all hurried behind them, dressed in their own tuxes and leaping inside as fast as they could. 

Lindsey and Anna were already waiting by the time they pulled up to their house, the car barely stopping for them to jump inside, long dresses and heels and all. The traffic in Los Angeles showed no mercy for them, and when Aleks finally reached James’ house it was 6:58 and the door was being thrown open before the limo could even stop. 

“Climb out the sunroof!” Aleks barely saw Joe’s feet before the smaller man was hoisting himself up and out of the vehicle, Asher right on his heels as he followed. Lindsey and Anna clambered their way out with Brett and Trevor right behind, the two men eagerly jumping up on top of the car to join their friends. 

Aleks got out last, seeing Lindsey hastily toss something up to the boys before joining Anna on the other side of the car, brushing her hair from her eyes before nodding towards Aleks. “Alright, tell him to come out!” 

Aleks smirked slightly at the glee in her voice, turning his head at the sound of crinkling paper to see his coworkers unrolling a giant sign, hand painted with the word “PROM?” in huge letters in multiple colors. 

He managed to hold his bouquet of flowers with one arm as he pulled out his phone and typed out a quick text to James and hitting send. 

‘Outside when you’re ready.’

He slipped it back into his pocket and situated himself again, cradling the flowers against his arm and straightening his tie before he heard the all too familiar noise of James’ front door opening, his heart pounding a mile a minute within his chest as he watched the slightly older man step out. 

He was absolutely beautiful, dressed in the dark suit Aleks had handpicked for him, measurements and everything. His hair was pulled back into its usual bun, slicked back slightly with his sides shaved from his haircut earlier in the week. His tie was a dark red color, one that matched Aleks’ own and his brown eyes were wide in surprise, freezing up as soon as he’d taken a step out of his house. 

Aleks couldn’t help but smile, watching his boyfriend’s face register with a thousand different emotions at once, piecing together everything in his mind as his eyes scanned everything around him, mouth slightly agape. 

He took a step forward, James taking no notice of him as he began walking down the sidewalk to approach him, the plastic wrap from the flowers crinkling as he did. 

“Surprise…” he murmured quietly, watching as James turned his head to face him suddenly, his mouth still open in shock. 

“Aleks…” he breathed slowly, his arm still halfway inside his house before he pulled it away, turning slightly to face him. Aleks grinned a bit, wrinkling his nose fondly. 

“I know it’s not typical for me to ask my date to prom...the day of prom, but…” He shrugged a bit, holding out the flowers to James. “We’re not a typical couple, are we?” 

James’ face broke out into a huge smile then, dimples and all. His dark eyes darted down towards the flowers before reaching out and taking them carefully, letting his fingertips brush against Aleks’ own for a couple seconds longer than usual before pulling them back towards his chest and nodding quickly. 

“Yeah, I’ll go with you…” His grin widened slightly, his cheeks flushed a deep red color as he kept staring at Aleks, his eyes never leaving his and Aleks could feel his own neck heating up as Lindsey and Anna both hurried up the sidewalk with their phones. 

“Okay, mom mode is activating. Get together so I can take pictures!” Aleks smiled fondly, still holding James’ gaze before he shrugged a bit and took a step up towards him, reaching his hand upward to cup his neck before pulling his face down slightly to meet his own, pressing his mouth to his and kissing him deeply. 

He felt James gasp in shock against his lips for a moment before he hummed contentedly, taking the hand that clutched his flowers and throwing it around the back of Aleks’ neck, arching his back slightly as he was dipped down in the entryway of the house. His other arm flew to Aleks’ waist to keep himself steady, and even amongst the noise of his heart pounding in his own ears Aleks could hear the loud cheering and whooping of his friends from the limousine. 

“Isn’t that a little steamy for prom?” Lindsey called out questioningly, but the sound of her phone camera still taking pics was audible amongst the noise. Aleks grinned against James’ mouth, pulling his lips away for a brief moment to catch his breath before whispering into his skin.

“I’m saving the steamy part for tonight,” he murmured, and when he pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth he swore James’ skin burned to the touch. 

The limousine ride was as chaotic as one could imagine; especially the ones that knew them well. Obnoxiously loud music handpicked by Asher and Trevor filled the back of the car, all of them practically having to yell at each other to be heard. Aleks was anxiously shooting nervous glances in James’ direction every few seconds, keeping a gentle hand on top of his thigh and running his thumb along the fabric of his pants. James had never done well in loud crowds or cramped places, but he seemed to be perfectly content now, leaned into Aleks’ side and laughing along with everyone else as they childishly passed around a stainless steel flask filled with God knows what, something Brett and Lindsey had both insisted on having to give him the “full prom experience”. 

By the time they arrived to the venue, they were all pleasantly tipsy and giggly, piling out one by one into the entryway of the hotel. James kept a tight grip onto Aleks’ hand, either for balance or his own pleasure or maybe a little of both. The sun was setting and people were milling around outside and Aleks made a beeline for the front doors, eager to show James the ballroom and hoping to God that his friends had decorated to their best abilities. 

When he walked inside he was immediately met with loud cheering and the unmistakable flashing of photos being taken. He smiled brightly, glancing around at all of his friends from around the area before turning to James, giggling at his wide eyes and opened mouth, pure amazement on his face. 

“What, you didn’t think it’d just be us at your prom, did you?” James turned his head quickly, blinking slowly at Aleks as if he were still processing before grabbing onto his face with both hands and pulling him in for another kiss, earning another enormous eruption of cheers around them. 

The prom itself was a pleasant blur to Aleks; adult prom meant a lot more drinks and less awkwardness, which he was quite thankful for. He floated around the room with James at his side, the two of them never letting go of each other’s hands unless they were taking turns dancing with other people. At some point Joe ended up approaching them with a huge, gaudy plastic crown insisting that James was their prom king, to which the whole room wholly agreed on. Aleks giggled loudly, feeling the warm flow of alcohol through his veins as James was carried around on people’s shoulders like some type of hero, his face pink and happy and something Aleks really never wanted to forget. 

The slow dance was inevitable; a guaranteed prom staple. Aleks wasn’t sure what was playing, but the soft beginnings of a piano seemed to universally signal to everyone in the room to get into couples. He was leaned against one of the walls near the back, nursing another rum and Coke when James walked over, smiling softly and glancing at him through his long lashes. 

“You’ve done so much tonight, I think the least I could do is ask you to dance.” Aleks still isn’t quite sure why his heart began pounding the way it did; he blamed the alcohol, but he knew it was just the fact that James had such a hold on him, the ability to turn Aleks’ knees to jelly and his stomach into butterflies with just a slight smirk. He should’ve been scared, but nothing about James was scary. 

James was home. 

Aleks set his cup down on the bar to his left, trying his hardest not to let James see the way his cheeks were flushing in the dim lighting. 

“I don’t know, some of the other people in here look pretty enticing…” James smiled wider at that, watching as Aleks pretended to look around even though he knew that no one was even near them, too busy drinking or scrambling to find someone to dance with. Aleks turned his gaze back just in time to see James reached his hand out slowly, his long fingers outstretched towards him delicately before he spoke. 

“Will you dance with me?” The piano music seemed to swell slightly at that moment, pulling Aleks away from focusing on the pounding of his heart as his eyes flickered from James’ hand to his face, feeling his mouth open and then close in response. James was patient, staring at him with such a soft gaze that Aleks wasn’t sure he’d even make it out to the dance floor without melting beforehand. 

It took him a few seconds and one deep breath before Aleks managed to nod in response, not even bothering to try and hide his blush now, smiling softly and reaching his hand back out in return, slipping his fingers in between James’ own as he led them away from the wall. 

Aleks couldn’t even remember who was paired up around them; the chatter in the room had quieted down and the music had been turned up, and James led them directly into the middle of the floor before stopping and turning to face him, placing his hands on Aleks’ waist. 

“Sorry; you’re just the smaller out of the two of us.” Aleks rolled his eyes playfully and smirked, taking a step forward and slipping his arms around James’ neck in return as he did. 

“Yeah, yeah…” he murmured quietly, closing up any remaining space between the two of them before he let James began to sway them back and forth, tilting his head up slightly to stare at him. “You definitely hold that half an inch height difference over me, huh?” 

James giggled quietly at that, his dimples appearing and Aleks’ heart skipped a beat before he watched his boyfriend tilt his head to the side a bit, gazing at him with dark eyes. 

“I don’t say this enough, but...I really don’t know how I got so lucky to be with someone like you, babe.” Aleks felt his breath catch in his throat, his mouth opening slightly before he quickly closed it and swallowed thickly, blinking a couple times. James simply smiled at him, scanning his face for a few seconds before he leaned forward and rested his forehead against Aleks’ own. 

“I mean it. You treat me so well and give me so much and I just...I can’t thank you enough.” His breath was warm against his face, and Aleks closed his eyes for a brief moment, opening them when James suddenly stopped, bringing his hands from Aleks’ waist and up to cup his face gently. 

“I love you, Aleks. I’ve loved you from the day I first saw you and I’ll love you until the day I die, and then afterwards.” His thumbs were pressed lightly against Aleks’ cheekbones, weighing upon his skin with such a delicate touch that Aleks felt that, for a moment, he was dreaming. 

He could see couples floating around the dance floor from the corner of his eye, a beautiful mess of soft eyes and sleepy grins and bodies wrapped in each other’s arms. The music was still playing, flowing evenly through the room like a warm breeze and filling the place with a sense of calm that Aleks wasn’t sure he’d ever felt before. 

This was happiness; James’ large hands on his face, his lips inches from Aleks’ own, his breath warm and doused with whiskey and his dark, slightly dilated eyes refusing to break contact with him. Aleks smiled softly, feeling his chest begin to swell with love before he murmured back. 

“Aren’t you glad you went to prom now?” James smirked, wrinkling his nose fondly before leaning forward and pressing his lips to Aleks’ mouth as his answer, tilting his head to the slide slightly before coaxing his lips open, Aleks letting him in eagerly. 

They stood like that for a few seconds; it felt like a scene straight from a movie, really. Every cheesy high school flick didn’t prepare him for the way his stomach was flipping within him, for the way his heart was pounding against his ribcage and for the way he almost felt lightheaded from kissing James, from the pure euphoric bliss that overtook your brain when you were kissing someone you loved, when you were kissing your soulmate. 

James pulled his lips away, his face hovering inches from Aleks’ as he grinned crookedly at him, his curls falling from his bun and his crown lopsided on the top of his head. 

“Yeah,” he agreed quietly, his hand sliding down to rest on Aleks’ neck. 

“Best prom date ever.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! as always, my twitter is @ playthetyrants and my tumblr is uberhaxorslut. come talk to me on there, i'm always looking for new friends.
> 
> ALSO if you feel so inclined, my ko-fi is here :) https://www.ko-fi.com/playthetyrants


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